Sunshine Beneath Our Storm
by Ice Spirit
Summary: Heavy storm falls as love blooms between the phoenix and the tiger. Can they figure out each other before the thunder strikes them? KaixRei
1. Rain While I Capture You

**Ice Spirit: **Hello everyone! It's me again, the only icy authoress, Ice Spirit! This is my third beyblade fan fiction and I hope you like it. (",)

"Oh! Goodie-goodie! It's raining badly! Surely Kai wouldn't force us to train in this weather, right Maxie?" Tyson said happily to Max who nodded in approval. The two smiled happily and went back to sleep, knowing that they don't have to strain their bodies for the day.

It has been raining non-stop since yesterday afternoon while the Bladebreakers were training under Kai's strict supervision and Kai allowed them to stop training and went back to their apartment immediately.

Meanwhile, Kai watched as the angry wind gushed past the trees near their house. It was only 3:00 in the morning but he can no longer sleep. Suddenly, his gaze turned to his sleeping companion who was peacefully snuggling on a pillow that is supposed to be Kai's. Then, he noticed that his bit beast, Dranzer was glowing from her chip, meaning that she wants to talk to him (A/N: I really don't know if Dranzer is a girl or a boy but I think Dranzer being a girl fits this ficcy). He got his blade and released Dranzer from her chip. Instantly, the fierce-looking phoenix emerged from the chip and perched near Kai.

'Good Morning Master Kai' 

_'Hn. What do you want?'_

_'Is there something wrong with talking to you? It's been a while since we last talked outside the bey stadium. You know that we have mental connections and I can read what's on your mind if I want to.'_

_'Nothing is wrong with talking to you but there is nothing to talk about.'_

_'Really? How about this verse I read from your mind yesterday – His tanned perfection indeed intoxicates me every time I see him.'_

_'Where did you get that! Are you snooping in my head!'_

_'I got that from your thoughts **accidentally**.'_

_'So how do you define "accidentally" hm?'_

'It just popped in my birdie head. I thought I was dreaming but when I recognized your voice, I knew that it was from your thoughts. I didn't do it intentionally you know.'

_'I don't believe you. You've been with me since I was a kid and I know how you probe in my mind whenever you feel like it.'_

_'I DO NOT DO THAT! I DO PROBE ONLY WHEN I FEEL THAT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM! Sheez! MEN!' _(A/N: No offense dudes)

'Yeah right! I still don't know why my parents left me a girly beast.'

_'Shut up Master Kai. I'm only trying to help you! You're not perfect you know!'_

_'Why do you even call me 'Master' if you don't even obey me!'_

_'Fine! You know Kai, you said it yourself that the two of us have been together ever since you're a kid and I know that you DO KNOW how to love right!'_

_'What the hell are you talking about!'_

_'I know that you love Rei.'_

_'Where in hell did you get that idea!'_

_'Fine, let's revise it. I know that you do LIKE Rei very much. You okay with that?'_

_'No! I only like Rei because, unlike YOU and those other immature kids, he doesn't and didn't probe into my privacy!'_

_'It all starts from liking him, then you become friends, then close friends, then best friends, then infatuation, then crushes, then best crushes, then love, then lovers! See? You're in the middle of like and friends. It's because, YOU WON'T OPEN UP TO HIM EVEN THOUGH HE TRIES TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU!'_

_'Whatever. Dranzer, let's stop bickering. You're just proving to me that girls are noisy.' _(A/N: No offence gals. I'm a girl too.)

'Fine. As always, you don't want others to help you because you think that they will say that you're weak. But I'm not others and I don't think that you are weak.'

_'Dranz, just let me figure this thing by myself. I can do it.'_

_'Yeah sure you can but remember, when you need help, just call me.'_

_'Yeah, yeah. Go back to your chip. In any minute, Rei will be waking up.'_

_'Okay but promise me that you'll figure it out!'_

_'I will. Now, go back to your chip!'_

With that last command from their connection, Dranzer went back to her chip. Kai, on the other hand, got fresh clothes from his closet and went to the bathroom for a nice warm bath.

oOo

Rei's eyes shot open when he felt a strong gush of wind on his skin. He slowly stood up from the bed and walked towards the terrace and closed the glass door to avoid the cold wind and water from getting in the room. Through the rampant noise of the storm, Rei heard running water from the bathroom. _Must be Kai._ He just arranged their bed and waited for Kai to finish. After a few minutes, Kai did come out.

"Good morning Kai. Are we going to train?" Rei asked as Kai emerged from the bathroom.

Kai looked at him then to outside. It is still raining badly.

"No but if this rain stops, we will do train." Kai said flatly.

"Oh. Okay. Thank you." Rei said then he entered the bathroom.

Kai looked out of the window. _I just hope it doesn't stop for now._

When Rei stepped out of the bathroom, he saw Kai staring out the window. He noticed that he is in a deep thought so he quietly went out of the room, leaving Kai to his thoughts.

_'What the hell is happening to me? I'm not supposed to feel this way. And that birdie of a Dranzer. She's making it all more confusing. Damn it!' _Kai thought as he stare out of the window as Mother Nature release her anger through the storm. Languidly, Kai went down to the kitchen to forget the conversation he and Dranzer had.

oOo

"Luckily I brought a plastic bag for all of this mails or else all of these will be soaking wet." Rei said as he open the door of their house. He let the umbrella dry itself near the door as he forced the door to remain open when he felt the door steady. He looked up and saw Kai holding the door for him.

"You might want to get in." Kai said in his normal icy tone as Rei stood outside the door, staring at his captain.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry." Rei said sheepishly as he entered the house. Rei dried his long black hair and sat on the couch, sorting the mail individually.

Kai just sipped his coffee, also sitting on the couch, and observed Rei as he sort the mail. He noticed that something's different with Rei but he can't figure out what it is. He just continued to study Rei. When he finally realized what's different with Rei, he raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to your hair?" Kai asked Rei.

Rei stopped sorting the mail and held his jet-black hair. He decided to braid it for now because of the cold weather and his hair would help him feel a little warmer. He looked up to Kai and asked him.

"Is there something wrong with my hair?" his tone is very gentle, opposite to the weather outside their house.

"Nothing. Just looks different." Kai said flatly and he continued to drink his coffee.

'If I don't know Rei, I would really think that he is a girl with his braided hair. Too feminine, if you ask me. Wait a minute. Why do I care about Rei's appearance? It's driving me crazy.' Kai thought as he sipped his coffee, careful not to show his expressions.

"Alright. This is Tyson's. This is Max's. This is Kenny's. This is mine and this is yours." Rei said as he finished separating their letters. Kai had the most number of letters, obviously coming from his fan girls. Rei smiled to himself.

"What are you smiling at?" Kai asked Rei, seeing the wide smile on the neko-jin's face.

"Oh. Nothing. It's just, your fan girls never cease to fail writing you different kinds of letters and cards." Rei explained lightly, smiling brightly despite the cold atmosphere.

"Whatever." Kai said, putting down his cup and grabbed his stack of letters. He kept his temper in check every time he reads fan mails. He knew that these people spared a time writing to him and he should read it. He only replies to those who ask questions that are very sensible.

After a few minutes, Kai placed the letters on the table, giving up. He is used to getting loads of letters but today is different. They're too many than the usual. Then, he saw Rei stood up from the couch and ran upstairs. When he returned, he is holding a black Polaroid type camera. Kai gave him a raised eyebrow.

"What's that for?" Kai asked disinterestedly.

"For shooting pictures." Rei replied earnestly, smiling.

Kai rolled his eyes. He really hated it when Rei is a little naïve and a lot more cheery. Suddenly, Rei sat beside Kai, his long braid coming between them. Kai gave him a weird look.

"Just smile for now. I'll explain later." Rei told him brightly.

Kai blinked at Rei but he did smile a little when Rei clicked the camera twice. Two photos came out of the camera. Rei inspected the two. He placed the other one in his pocket and gave Kai the other.

"A fan asked me to give her a picture of the two of us with autographs. Umm.. can you sign that?" Rei told Kai shyly, referring to the picture in front of Kai.

Kai looked at Rei's doubtful face. He felt so weird. He just grabbed a pen and scrawled neatly. Kai Hiwatari. Rei looked at him happily and he too signed the picture and inserted it in an envelope.

"Thanks Kai." Rei said as he sealed the envelope.

"You're too nice with your fans." Kai noted dryly.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with being nice to them. They just want to give out their support and respect to us." Rei told Kai happily.

Kai didn't respond. He just stared out of the window as the water and wind continuously battle each other for vengeance.

tbc…

**Ice Spirit: **Hiya! What do you think? Drop me a line by giving me a review! Thanks! n.n


	2. Berry Crepes and Phone Calls

**Ice Spirit: **Hello! I'm back and sorry for the wait. Thanks to all those who reveiwed. Here's chapter 2 and I hope you like it!

* * *

"What do you like for breakfast Kai? Pancakes, Belgian waffles, _blinis _or berry crepes?" Rei asked his captain softly as the two of them sit in the living room. He can't decide if what he would cook for their breakfast later in the morning.

Kai didn't respond quickly but instead, he just continued staring at the harsh weather outside the window while holding a fan mail. He's can't help but remember everything about his inner turmoil due to the cold weather. But then, that was already his past and he is trying everything to forget it.

Kai sipped his coffee and asked, "Since when did you learn how to cook _blinis_?"

Rei shrugged and faced Kai and smiled. He never talked to Kai like this before and he can consider himself lucky that Kai Hiwatari, the Ice Prince, is actually talking to him casually.

"Well, I love cooking and I came across a cook book that features Russian dishes so I thought that I should try it out. So, what do you want for breakfast? I'm sure Tyson would eat anything that is laid in front of him" Rei told Kai in his usual friendly way. He never thought that he would be actually some sort of close to Kai Hiwatari for he treated him as a competitor since the first day he met him.

"Berry crepes will do." Kai said in response. He took a sip from his coffee and returned to reading his mails.

Rei smiled at Kai's response. He really noticed that Kai eats pretty well during breakfast when the food is anything with berries but Kai won't openly admit that. Well, the rainstorm hasn't affected Kai's taste after all.

Kai watched Rei in the corner of his eyes as the neko jin happily reads his fan mails. He really can't concentrate in reading his mail with Rei around. He fought Dranzer's non-stop urging in his head to look at Rei. He shut Dranzer up and is determined to finish his pile of mails. He is picking up his focus when he heard someone talking softly.

Kai looked up and saw that it is Rei who is talking. He looked at the other boy's figure and sat up properly. Rei's voice is so soft that he can barely hear it. He leaned a little to hear Rei clearly in his self-conversation.

_ 'I wonder if he is really feeling that well. He seemed okay when he last spoke to me but maybe he is still not used to me. Maybe it's just the rainstorm or me. C'mon Rei, you're better than that! Sooner or later, you'll find out the answer to your questions. Mysteries are not meant to be easy, remember?'_

Rei is definitely talking about a person he is really interested with but who is it? Kai kept on listening when the telephone rang. Pretending not to care, he kept on reading his mail, leaving it to Rei to answer the phone. Then, he heard Rei's cheery tone.

"Good Morning! This is the Blade Breakers' place and you are currently talking to Rei. May I know who is on the line?" Rei greeted the caller cheerily. He liked being happy.

"Rei? This is Tala." The cold voice said from the other line. Rei's eyes flickered with delight that is caught by Kai that made him think who is Rei talking to.

"Is there any problem? Why did you call early in the morning?" Rei asked Tala through the phone while Kai tried to hear what they are talking about.

"Nothing. Is Kai already up?" Tala asked Rei with the same icy tone.

Rei looked at Kai and smiled. As always, Tala will always look for Kai in his every phone call and visits.

"Yeah, he's here, reading fan mails and drinking coffee. Want to talk to him, Yuu?" Rei asked cheerfully.

Kai winced at the mention of the puppy name. _Since when did Tala Ivanov become **Yuu** to Rei?_ He almost ripped the fan mail he is holding as a thunder struck the dark and rainy sky outside.

"Kai, Tala wants to talk to you." Rei told Kai who is still "reading" his fan mails but quickly grabbed the phone from Rei in a rather annoyed fashion. Rei is slightly bothered by Kai's sudden change of attitude. _Must be the weather_, Rei reasoned to himself as Kai talked to Tala over the phone.

"What's your problem?" Kai asked Tala coldly. _Damn, I can't control my nerves!_ Kai thought to himself. He must admit that the must be feeling a _little _jealous over Tala and it's killing him so badly!

"Whoa! Cool it dude! I just called to ask if I could come over there? Spencer, Ian and Bryan kind of ditched me early in the morning and I'm dead bored in here." Tala explained to his childhood playmate.

Kai is silent for a while. He looked out of the window and the angry rain met his gaze. He couldn't let Tala drive in this kind of weather. _Tala can do that. He's good._ He reasoned out but when his gaze fell on Rei, he wanted to change his mind. _No, Tala can't go here! What about Rei?_

_ 'Well, Rei seems to be very fond of Tala. If you really like him, you'll make him happy.' _A voice in Kai's head said suggestively.

Kai rolled his eyes. It's his _best_ _friend-enemy_, Dranzer, peeking in his thoughts again without any permission.

_ 'What about me? I can't be happy? _C'mon_, I don't have the whole day to be able to talk to Rei! In anytime, the kids would be waking up and I'll sharing Rei with them and you are suggesting that I should share him with Tala too!' _Kai told Dranzer angrily.

_ 'But remember, Tala and Rei had some sort of past.' _Dranzer informed Kai in her girly tone.

Kai's eyebrows furrowed. _'What past are you talking about?'_

_'You mean, you don't even know?' _Dranzer answered Kai doubtfully with another question.

_'Yeah, I DO NOT KNOW!' _Kai said seriously.

_'I'll tell you later. Tala is still on the line.'_ Dranzer said and she went out.

"Hey Kai. You still there?" Tala asked Kai over the line. He can't hear Kai talking for quite some time since he called.

"Still here. It's raining so badly in here. It will be too dangerous. Come some other time." Kai said flatly but inside, he's hoping Tala would bite it.

"Yeah but I'm going to die in here!" Tala reasoned out. He is totally not a homebody!

"But you'd prefer dying from boredom than being struck by a lightning or being electrified by a fallen electric post. Consider it, **_YURI_**." Kai said coldly, emphasizing the other boy's native name.

"Since when did you call me by that? But anyway, take care of my baby." Tala said in defeat.

Kai's eyebrows furrowed and his crimson eyes fired up. _Baby?_

"Baby? Who's your baby?" Kai said, trying to sound oblivious and cool despite his burning temper inside and he can't deny the reason.

"C'mon. Tell Rei that I miss him. Okay? Thank you. Bye!" Tala said then he went out. Kai just gripped the phone tightly for a while then placed it back on its place and returned to his seat, feeling really angry like the storm outside.

"Rei, concerned with Kai's sudden change of air, sat near Kai. There must be something Tala had said. But to his surprise, Kai just continued reading his mail like nothing happened. But still, he must ask. He might know something new. But before he could even ask Kai, Kai had already spoken to him.

"Tala said that he misses you. What's up with the two of you?" Kai said blankly, not looking at Rei.

Rei's eyes grew wide. So, Tala is not over it yet…

tbc..

**Ice Spirit: **A slight cliffy! There you have a short chapter 2 but I promise that the third one will be longer! Please send me a review! I love you guys! And yeah, if anyone is interested in joining my C2 community, just drop a line, ayt? J

**Your Icy Sistah,**

**-Ice Spirit-**


	3. Of Thunders and Birds

"But Kai! How about that 'I have one word' stuff you told me last week when you defeated me! You said earlier that we have no practice! Please Kai?" Tyson whined and pleaded at the same time to his stoic captain. I had miraculously stopped raining sometime after noon and he wanted to visit his grandpa and his other friends along with Kenny and Max.

Kai only closed his eyes at Tyson and crossed his arms. He does not like this pleading of Tyson. Tyson continued to plead until Max and Kenny joined him. Then, Rei supposed it is the right time to intervene.

"How about the three of you proceed first in the living room?" Rei told his three younger teammates turned away from Kai and mouthed to them, _I'll talk it out_.

Kai opened his eyes when he realized that it is already silent. Suddenly, he looked down and almost jumped in surprise when his face was barely inches away from Rei's. _Am I really this tall?_ He stepped back and regained his posture while Dranzer started to tease him again.

"Where are those kids? Did you let them go?" Kai asked, half-coldly.

"I didn't. They are in the living room. Why don't you want to let them go? Is there something wrong?" Rei asked Kai softly. He is secretly praying that Kai will forget the stuff he's been asking earlier.

"It's because they have to practice. Do you really have to ask that?" Kai asked, almost forgetting that he is talking to Rei.

"You can just let them off for at least 4 hours and then tomorrow, we can start training again." Rei explained calmly.

_"Don't be such a killjoy Kai! Four hours alone with Rei will be awesome!"_ Dranzer commented in Kai's head with pure birdie joy.

Kai walked out of the dining room and headed to the living room. Rei smiled to himself when he heard Tyson say loud and lively thanks to him before running out to the bus station.

"Since when did you become the spokesman of those kids?" Kai asked Rei, returning into the dining room where Rei is collecting the dishes.

"I don't know but I think it's quite effective, don't you think?" Rei remarked then headed to the sink, leaving a slightly agitated Kai.

_"Way to go Rei!"_ Dranzer cheered in Kai's head.

_"Shut up you bird!" _Kai said angrily in to Dranzer.

oOo

That afternoon, Kai kept his distance from Rei by training himself outside. He is mentally cussing on Dranzer for being a girl when he could have a male beast. Well, Dranzer paid no heed to her master's complains and agitations but instead she continued her endless hints and tips on how to ask Rei out that in the end, struck Kai's final nerve, making him burst out.

"DAMN IT!" Kai said loudly and angrily, making Dranzer hide in her shell. Luckily, the Bladebreakers' place is far from other houses or it would have cost Kai a little trouble.

Rei rushed to the backyard after hearing Kai's angry tone while sweeping the floors. There, he found Kai glaring at his blade angrily as if he is ready to burn it with his fiery gaze.

"What happened, Kai?" Rei asked nervously. Kai would never ever burst like that except when it is because of Tyson.

A lightning struck even before Kai could answer Rei's question and it also snapped Kai back to the normal scene. Kai's gaze softens a bit as he looked up to the darkening sky and turned to Rei.

"Let's go back inside. Looks like it's going to rain again." Kai commented, walking past Rei who is looking quite puzzled.

Rei sat quietly in the living room as he watched a Chinese movie, feeling uneasy of the return of the stoic expression of his captain. Earlier, Kai is being nice and conversational but now, he looks as if he is a porcupine not to be touched.

_"Hey Drigger. Feels really cold in here."_ Rei told his friend beast.

_"Now, Rei. I see that you are now missing your common sense. It obviously is going to rain that's why it's cold."_ Drigger scolded his master mentally.

_"Not that, silly! I mean, look at Kai."_ Rei explained to his beast with a mental laugh.

_"Oh. Dranzer made him angry that's why."_ Drigger replied nonchalantly.

_"How did you know that?"_ Rei inquired, quite pleased with the movie he is currently watching.

_"Dranzer told me herself." _

_"Oh yeah? Since when did the two of you became close?" _Rei asked. Drigger used to tell him that he can't stand Dranzer's attitude and stuff like that and Drigger, being a proud kitty, wouldn't forgive anyone easily.

_"Just today. Why do you ask so many irrelevant questions?" _

_"Oh nothing…"_ Rei said innocently. Suddenly, his gaze fell on Kai's cold crimson ones. He shivered but gave Kai a nervous smile and forced himself to return his gaze to the television screen.

On the other hand, Kai is still really angry with Dranzer. He can't help but get mad when his companion beast starts to tease him endlessly but when Rei looked at him, he almost feel like melting in his seat.

It's been four months since he realized that he is capable of loving another person but he didn't expect it to be Rei. He didn't know how he fell for his Chinese teammate even though his heart is made up with ice. But all he know is that he can't help but smile every time he sees Rei around, he can't help but feel good when he hears Rei's encouraging tone and most of all, he can't control himself from staring at Rei's sparkling gold eyes. But thanks to Volataire and Bakov, he can hide his feeling well and admire Rei without feeling distracted.

Suddenly, the raindrops started to fall accompanied by a loud crash of thunder that almost made Rei jump off his seat while Kai looked at the big wall clock in the room that reads 5:54 pm.

"In six minutes they should be here." Kai stated, looking out of the wet glass window as cold wind passed by from the cold atmosphere outside.

Regaining his composure, Rei sat back on the beanbag and look at Kai side view. He must admit that despite the emotionless mask upon his captain's being, he can still see that spark of kindness and caring in him. He is just happy that at least, every now and then, Kai is being more sociable after 3 years of his stay as the Blade Breakers' captain. Suddenly, he realized that he is _staring_ at his team captain who is currently looking at him oddly. He mentally slapped himself for staring at his captain senselessly or is it?

"Do I have dirt on my face?" Kai asked, still looking out the window. He can sense it when someone is staring at him. _At least it's Rei._

oOo

"I swear Kai will kill us! We shouldn't have waited for the rain!" Kenny exclaimed nervously. They are still in Tyson's house and it's been raining badly that they can't go out of the house due to the foggy atmosphere and heavy rain.

"How about we e-mail Kai? I'm sure he'll understand." Max suggested while eating a strawberry flavored lollipop.

"You can stay here for the night! Kai wouldn't mind it with this kind of weather." Tyson's grandfather said enthusiastically.

"Like you live with Kai Hiwatari in some distant place." Tyson muttered under his breath while drinking a box of milk.

"Okay, let's e-mail Kai. At least, we don't have to deal with his freezing tone." Max said happily.

"What will we tell him? He'd probably kill us even before we send this email." Kenny said nervously as he open his laptop.

"C'mon Kenny! Just do it!" Tyson urged.

"Wait a minute guys. What do you think happened to Rei?" Kenny asked while his laptop boots up.

"Probably being beaten by Kai." Tyson offered jokingly.

"Tyson! Kai wouldn't do such thing!" Max exclaimed at his teammates suggestion.

"Okay! Okay! I give up!" Tyson said, raising both his hands in surrender.

"Can't we just proceed to this email?"

oOo

"Great. Just great." Kai muttered sarcastically as he checks his emails after having an early dinner with Rei as the rain suddenly turned into a storm.

"What's great Kai?" Rei asked as he finished washing the dishes.

"Those kids are not coming back tonight. I shouldn't have let them out." Kai said, deleting the email from Kenny.

"Don't be like that Kai. They have a valid reason not to return here and besides, do you really want them to be out in this weather?" Rei reasoned out.

"Whatever." Was Kai's reply and went back to his laptop's screen. How come he always gets so emotional when Rei is the one reasoning out?

Rei smiled to himself. If Kai doesn't argue with you, it means, he agrees with what you say, a thing that rarely happen.

Then, a thunder crashed and Rei went blank.

Tbc…

**Ice Spirit:** So, there you go. Sorry if it's a bit short. The next chapter will be longer I promise! I hope you review coz they really, really help a lot! Till next chapter!

-Ice Spirit


	4. Rashness and Opportunities

"Feeling any better

A/N: _"abc" _– thoughts; "abc" – normal; **"abc"** – different language

--

"Feeling any better?"

Rei heard a voice say as he wiped sleep off his eyes. He looked around the dim room and found himself in the bed he shared with Kai who is currently facing his laptop. Embarrassed, Rei quickly pulled himself off the covers and sat near his captain.

"Well, I guess you figured out my fear now. You know, the thunders and lightning and all. Sorry for the trouble Kai," Rei muttered shyly while tightening his jacket around his body as a wisp of cold air swept into the room.

'_Master Kai! You made a discovery of love! Anyway, be back later!'_ Dranzer noted happily and bailed out immediately before her master could even react.

"Er, Kai? Are you sick? You're quite red." Rei asked. Despite the darkness, Rei saw the change of color upon his comrade's face which surprised him.

Realizing the damage, Kai tried to regain his composure and made a mental note to make Dranzer pay for getting him off guard.

"You've been out for two hours. The power lines were also down since then," Kai said, changing the subject.

Earlier, Kai couldn't stop himself from worrying that he jammed his fingers upon the keypad of his cell phone while dialing the nearest hospitals for details on what could possibly have happened to Rei. After some shouting and some threatening the doctors and first-aiders over the phone, the captain finally calmed down as he was informed that his 'friend' may have suffered a case of _astraphobia_, in layman's term, _fear of thunders_.

Unaware of his captain's flashbacks, Rei just nodded in reply and placed his chin over his knees as Kai continued reading a message from Mr. Dickens. Suddenly, Rei leaned closer to the screen to see the details, catching Kai off guard which made the Russian's eyes widen at the contact.

"The storm's pretty insane for blocking all roads to here. This area is a bit remote too. I guess we should stay put for the moment, right?" Rei stated, oblivious to his captain's state of emotions.

Snapping back to reality, Kai pretended not to hear Rei's comment and typed a short reply to their manager's message. Rei, in turn, stood up and headed towards the door and headed to the kitchen, yelling that he's going to fix something for the two of them to eat.

After Rei left, Kai let out a sigh of relief and walked towards the mirror.

"You're hopeless, Kai Hiwatari. You are."

oOo

Since the power source cannot be fixed until the storm becomes less dangerous, Rei and Kai just lit up a few candles and satisfy themselves with the meal at hand.

"This is all I can come up for tonight's dinner. I can't really see much in the dark and I don't want to risk burning the house so cup noodles should do. Sorry," Rei apologized as he gulped some soup.

'_Candlight dinner! Not too shabby for a newbie, Master Kai.'_

Kai rolled his eyes upon hearing his bit beast's voice.

'_Don't think that I already forgot what you did earlier.'_

'_I couldn't help it. I'm just happy for you!'_

'_And you express happiness by being a bitch?'_

'_Urgh! Sorry but I'm like a bird, a phoenix to be more specific and NOT a dog.'_

'_Whatever. Just shut the hell up and mind your own business.'_

'_Oh no, that's not possible Master Kai! You know that I can't live without you!'_

'_Just shut up I said.'_

Receiving no reply from his team mate, Rei continued his meal. For some time, he watched the swaying trees due to the mighty gusts of the wind then placed his cup down the table.

"Kai."

The blue-haired Russo-Japanese teen looked up to acknowledge his team mate, raising his eyebrows in inquiry.

"Remember when we all took a year off for ourselves? When you went to back to Russia while Max and Kenny stayed in America and Tyson joined his father's trips."

"…"

"Well, during that year, I traveled from one country to another and I sorta had this type of experience. Guess where?" Rei asked Kai amidst a lightning strike, slightly illuminating the darkness of the room.

Kai shoved some noodles into his mouth and said, "China?"

Rei laughed. "No, silly. Russia."

Kai placed his bowl and chopsticks down and faced Rei's amused features.

"What are you doing in Russia? Collecting snow?"

At this, Rei couldn't stop himself from laughing, making Kai feel uneasy.

"Sorry. I lost it. Who knew that the world-famous Ice King of the blading world could really crack a cheesy joke?" Rei said after finally returning to his senses.

"Hn." Kai remarked, ignoring Rei's comment. Deep inside, he's fighting a blush if such is possible. He just realized how poor his sense of humor is.

"Anyway, to keep it simple, Tala and I spent a night without electricity because he forgot to pay his bills and it was snowing really hard," the Chinese teen finished his story along with his meal.

"What's with you and Tala anyway?" Kai inquired. He noticed that when he asked the same question earlier, Rei didn't respond.

Hearing Kai raise the same question he asked after Tala's call, Rei felt that he can no longer escape the discussion. Actually, he doesn't know what Kai's reaction will be and he does not want his captain to feel different about him. _Que sera sera. Here it goes._

RING! RING! RING!

"I'll go get it!" Rei volunteered quickly and bolted to the living room. _Save! Thank you so much, Kami-sama!_

"Good evening! This is the Blade Breakers' place and you are currently talking to Rei. May I know who is on the line?" greeted Rei, trying to make his voice louder to defy the continuous rainfall and wind blows outside.

"Bryan. Put Kai on the line." The voice from the other line growled icily, making Rei wince. He knows Bryan is subjected to some psycho-sadistic tendencies and he still can't help but shiver with the sharpness of Bryan's manner of speaking.

"Err, sure Bryan. Kai your call," Rei called out from the living room. As he passed the phone to Kai, Rei mouthed 'I'll just be in the kitchen' to which Kai just nodded in acknowledgement. It took a few moments before Kai lifted the contraption to his ear, waiting for Rei to return to the kitchen.

"How are things?" Kai finally said to his fellow Russian. He noticed that his childhood friends are successively calling him since morning.

"**Worse than worst. Tala flew to Japan this evening without any warning despite the knowledge of the stormy weather in some areas there."**

Kai glimpsed at Rei's shadow. Tala's been reckless once more due to some unknown reason but Kai can feel what his red-headed friend, more likely, _rival_ is up to and he does not like the very idea of it. As the situation calls him, Kai in turn conversed with Bryan in Russian.

"**That person. Did he tell you why he suddenly decided to travel to Japan?"**

"**He just stuffed his things, chanting mushy things which freaked Ian and Spencer then headed to the airport."**

"**Tala had 'it' again? What was he saying?"**

"**Tell other people that these words touched my tongue due to that red-head moron and I swear that I'll cut out yours before you can say 'Russia'."**

Kai smiled to himself as Bryan seriously threatened him for asking the falcon wielder to repeat 'the words' Tala supposedly said before leaving their homeland.

"**Whatever."**

"**I warned you Hiwatari."**

"**I know."**

"**He said that he's going to fight for the one who holds his heart."**

oOo

Kai can't sleep. He tried all the childish tricks just to fall asleep such as counting imaginary jumping sheep and covering his face with the comforter but sleep won't delude him. And the bluenette Bladebreaker knows why.

Out of frustration, Kai lifted his body off the bed towards the window. Letting himself loose, he sighed and watched the rain water flow down the moist window. Tala. That person really does rash actions at a whim. What bothered Kai is Bryan's narration of the red head's drastic change in personality. Sure, Tala's still fierce and sharp but he never wore his heart on his sleeves like that. He's a rational, that redhead.

"_Master Kai, how long do you plan deluding yourself? You're neither stupid nor blind not to realize that something's going on, rather something happened between Tala and Rei." _Kai's female companion told him gently.

"_I still remember what you did earlier."_

"_Come on Master, you know you can't take the feeling of being angry with me."_

"_Yeah, because I wish to strangle you which is physically impossible."_

"_MASTER!"_

"_Fine, I'm letting this one slip."_

"_Tala's occupying too much of your thoughts?"_

Kai didn't reply. Even without admitting it, Kai knows that Dranzer can read through his thoughts. Stupid pride. If he just can drop his guard once and for all, maybe he wouldn't have a hard time spilling his heart out. Well, that's just the first part of his problem. He's known to be the stoic captain of the Bladebreakers plus, the person he likes, well, _loves_ most is a guy.

It's still raining hard outside and even with the closed windows, Kai can feel the crisp wisps of wind.

_When will this stop?_

--

IceSpirit: OMG! I'm way past the deadline I have set for myself! I am so sorry! I don't know if this chappie is good enough for the wait but rest assured that the next chapter is an **explosive** one. Anyways, I still hope that you liked it. Reviews are very much appreciated! 'Til the next chapter!


End file.
